I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura
After Zieg vanished with Shana, I picked myself up off the floor where I had landed. "Ouch. That wasn't fun." I glared at the spot where Zieg had been standing. "Zieg, itsu tsugi warera mi-to, temae mune saikoro. I've had enough of your plot." I glanced at Ryan. "I mean it, too. When next I encounter him, Zieg will die."
Dart was still shaking with rage and shock. He turned his glare on me. "You knew Rose was the Black Monster, Ian!? You knew, and never told anyone!?"
I gazed back at him levelly. "I knew, Dart. And, no, I didn't tell anyone. A ninja of the honorable Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi clan does not betray confidences. And besides-" My voice went cold. "I believe Rose was doing the right thing."
Now that he'd found a target for his rage, Dart looked intent on taking it out on me. "How dare you!? The Black Monster destroyed my home! I had a right to know!"
"And just what would you have done with that knowledge? Killed Rose?" I drew Arashi-Jisan and stepped between Dart and Rose. "If you have that in mind, I suggest you forget it now. You'll have to go through me first." My voice became a cold, deadly whisper. "I have killed men for worse reasons than that, without even looking back."
Abruptly, Dart slumped. "Sorry, Ian. You're right. Right now, we just have to follow my father."
Rose spoke, for the first time since Zieg had disappeared. "We need to go to the Wingly city of Ulara, in the Death Frontier. There, we should get the information we need."
Lloyd turned to us. "I'll go with you. Diaz… I mean, Zieg, used me. I can't let him destroy the world."
Ryan chuckled. "Altruism, Lloyd? I didn't think you had it in you."
Lloyd smiled slightly. "This isn't for you, of course. There's no room for Zieg in my utopia." He looked at me, serious again. "Why did you stop him? I was your sworn enemy. You had every reason to let him kill me."
"Itto sou rojikaru kara za jikoku." I turned away. I wasn't too sure why I'd done it, either, and I had other things to worry about.
For once, Ryan didn't chastise me over not speaking English. He simply sighed, then turned to Lloyd. "He said it seemed logical at the time. Whatever that's supposed to mean."
I didn't even look at him as I turned to leave. "Forget it, Ryan. Let's just get going."
* * *
The Death Frontier was aptly named. It was a desert, occupied only by monsters. There were also a number of sand whirlpools that pulled in anything that got close.
Unfortunately, they weren't the only hazards. Not far in, Dart sent the rest of the group ahead, except for Rose. From his attitude, I got the uncomfortable feeling that he hadn't completely abandoned the idea of fighting Rose, even with my threat.
Because of this, I didn't go far. That way, if Dart did try something, I would be in a position to prevent it.
And it was well that I stayed behind. Once he thought everyone was far enough away, he drew his sword, indicating that Rose should do the same.
It was then that I stepped into view. "Don't do it, Dart. I told you before. If you try it, I will do what I must to stop you, up to and including killing you. Don't doubt it."
"This isn't your concern, Ian. Don't interfere." Dart readied his sword.
If that's the way you want it, Dart… I pulled out my own blade and teleported, reappearing above him. Gravity did the rest, dropping me toward the ground. Just before I hit, my katana struck his sword, dropping it to the sand. I crouched to take the landing, then my upstroke sent Dart's weapon flying.
"I told you to stop, Dart! I won't say it again. The next time, it'll be your head." I calmly sheathed my blade, then stalked off, Rose not far behind. As we left, I could feel Dart staring at me in surprise. Maybe now he'll get the picture. Too bad in doing so I've probably alienated myself from everybody. But it was worth it. Someday, maybe Dart will realize what killing Rose would have done to him in the end. But in the meantime, I should walk softly and leave everybody else alone.
* * *
The only break in the endless desert was a small oasis, where we rested for a couple of hours. Fortunately, despite my fears, the only one staying out of my vicinity was Dart. He now appeared troubled, perhaps thinking of what would have happened if I hadn't stopped him.
Despite that, I stood apart, leaning against a rock, thinking. Things had changed in the months since I had arrived in Endiness. I had changed. I'd gone from a simple assassin whose worst problem was a single vampire out to kill him to one of the few people capable of saving an entire world. I'd gone from a place where the only people I could trust were my own family, to a world where I had friends and comrades.
One of those comrades had even trusted me sufficiently to share a secret that, had I been of different opinion, could have gotten her killed.
That thought brought me up short. Rose and I have been getting along rather well lately, haven't we? I recalled Ryan's reaction after I gave Rose Doragon-Adauchi. Maybe Ryan understood something about this long before I did. The problem is, he probably thinks there's more to it than simply being good friends. He's gonna twit me about until I threaten to kill him. Ryan's just too stubborn to accept the truth when he hears it.
I looked up as Rose walked over. "Hello, Rose. Something up?"
She shook her head. "Not really." She fell silent for a moment, leaning against the rock next to me. "Thanks."
"No problem. I couldn't let Dart kill you, not after everything we've been through. I'd have been dead several times over if you hadn't been with us."
"You did die, once, though. When you took that spell from the Super Virage for me."
I shrugged. "Goshinpainaku yaku itto." At Rose's blank look, I remembered to translate. "Don't worry about it. I did what I had to do. I couldn't let a friend die. That is expected of any Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi ninja. Besides…"
Rose glanced at me as I trailed off. "What?"
"I've never before been able to trust anyone outside my own clan and family. That's how things are when you're an assassin. People tend to dislike you when they find out what you are and what you've done, and some even try to do something about it." I thought back on my old life. "Quite a few people ended up dead under such circumstances. Here, though… Here I have friends and comrades, people I'd die to protect. I don't want to lose one of the few people that I can truly consider a friend."
"Friend…" Rose mused. "It's been a thousand years since I had a friend. The Black Burst Dragon, Michael. He protected me for ten thousand years, and then, after all the time that had gone by, he turned wild. All Dragons do, eventually. And when Michael did, I had to kill him. Since then, I haven't trusted anyone."
I turned and held out my hand. "You can trust me, Rose. Always."
She took it, and smiled slightly. "Thank you."
* * *
It didn't take long after leaving the oasis to reach a small rock platform overlooking another, seemingly identical, section of desert.
Still, the very ordinariness of the area prevented me from being surprised when Rose announced that we had reached the entrance to Ulara. It looked too ordinary to be all that was there.
Rose climbed onto the rock and held up her choker. "This choker has two magical powers. One is the spell that stopped time for me, and the other opens the way to the Spring Breath Town, Ulara."
Something flashed, and the air wavered in front of is. Within moments, Ulara had revealed itself, an oasis floating above the endless desert. There was only on problem.
"How do we get there, Rose?" Karen asked.
In answer, Rose moved a nearby rock, revealing a Wingly teleport pad. "This leads directly into the town. Once there, we must speak with Charle Frahma. She has the information we need." She stepped forward onto the pad and vanished in a ball of light.
I followed immediately, despite my usual caution. If there were any problems, Rose wouldn't have been so quick to go through.
The trip was brief, and disorientation inherent in teleportation faded quickly. I found myself in the Wingly city of Ulara, the home of Winglies who had aided humans during the Dragon Campaign. It was here, Rose had told me, that her journey as the Black Monster had begun, and hopefully, where it would begin to end.
The female Wingly guarding the teleported saw us immediately. "Rose! It's been a long time! And who's that with you?"
As the rest of the group began to arrive, Rose and I stepped forward. "This is the Dragoon of the Diamond Dragon," Rose replied, "and I think the rest of the introduction should be made by him. Some of it is unpronounceable by the rest of us."
Yes, Rose is starting to act like a normal human being again. Probably a good sign. I smiled slightly. "Rose is probably right. I have been trying to teach them, but I only started recently. My name is Ian Takahari, Dragoon of the Diamond Dragon, sole surviving sensei of the Gekido Oni Art of Ninjutsu, and one of only four members of the Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi clan of ninja to remain alive. Oh yes, and I'm a vampire hunter." I paused to catch my breath. Too many more titles added to the list, and it'd take me all day just to introduce myself.
The Wingly smiled. "My name is Caron. I'm the guardian of the teleporter. Welcome to Ulara." Caron looked past us. "And these are the other new Dragoons?"
I nodded. "Our leader, Dart, is the Dragoon of the Red-Eyed Dragon, Albert holds the Jade Spirit, Haschel the Violet, Meru the Blue-Sea, Kongol the Golden, Miranda the White-Silver. The others, aside from the man with the red eyes and the Wingly, hold new Dragoon Spirits, as I do. The holder of the Time Dragoon Spirit is my brother Ryan, and the Starburst Dragoon is my sister, Karen. Finally, this is Lloyd the Wingly, and Kenji Okamura, also of the Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi. The red in his eyes is due to the fact that the vampire he was hunting ended up hunting him, instead."
"So the Diamond, Time, and Starburst Dragons were killed at last. Well, I assume you're here to talk to Charle?"
Rose nodded. "Yes. And I'm sure you know why. Where is she?"
Caron indicated an area farther north. "She's at home, waiting for you. You still remember how to get there?"
"Of course. The years haven't altered my memory, Caron."
The Wingly looked closely at her. "You're beginning to notice time again, aren't you? And you're recovering other things…" She looked at me oddly.
Why is everyone acting so strange around me lately? Is something going on that everyone but I can see? Puzzled, I fell back on old personality traits and stalked off. There were times when people began to irritate me, and this appeared to be one of them.
When I reached the teleporter leading into Charle Frahma's home, I paused, waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. It occurred to me that it would be best for Rose to make the introductions, since she was the only one of our group to have met Charle before.
"So this is Charle Frahma's home?" I asked Rose when they arrived.
"Yes. Let's go."
Charle was indeed waiting for us when we entered. While Rose made the introductions, I silently observed. Charle Frahma appeared to be a woman in her twenties, but the things she spoke of proved that she was far older. Particularly the fact that the leader of the Winglies during the Dragon Campaign was her younger brother, Melbu. This was a person who had seen much more than most others.
When the introductions where finished, Charle looked at me. "You're not from around here, are you?"
I shook my head. "No, I'm not. As Rose said, my name is Ian Takahari. The only reason I'm here is that Zieg got hold of an old artifact made by your people, which he gave to Lloyd. Lloyd then passed it on to Emperor Doel, who, being a well-read dictator, linked the artifact, the Dark Mirror, to a prophecy he had heard. He decided to make sure that the Diamond Dragoon never came into existence, and sent a team of assassins to my home, where they succeeded in killing my parents and capturing my brother. Unfortunately for Doel," and at this I smiled coldly, "they got the wrong Takahari. I killed the assassins, and ended up here. A week later, and Doel's fears came true. The prophecy was fulfilled, and I ended up as the holder of the first new Dragoon Spirit in eleven thousand years."
"I see… But if you've managed to retrieve the Mirror, why are you still here? What ties you to this world so strongly that you risk your life to save it?"
I leaned back against the wall. "I have my reasons."
"I see." Charle said again. "Anyway, you want to know what Zieg is up to, right?"
"That's what we're here for," Rose acknowledged. "What is he doing and how do we stop him?"
Charle looked grim. "I don't know why Zieg's doing it or where he went wrong, but with the Divine Moon Objects, he can destroy the remaining Signet Spheres preventing the birth of the God of Destruction."
Rose frowned. "Signet Spheres? There was another safety measure that you didn't mention?"
"Yes. When we separated the soul and the flesh of the God of Destruction, we created the five Signet Spheres to make sure that, even if the Crystal Sphere were destroyed, the world would be safe. But Melbu created the Divine Moon Objects so that he could destroy the Signets if he wanted to. I don't know exactly why. It was because of those that we needed you to become the Black Monster. If someone got the keys, the Moon Child would be able to make it to the Moon That Never Sets, and we couldn't let it happen."
"Why only three Moon objects if there were five Signets?" I asked.
"Two of the Signets have since been destroyed," Charle replied. "One when Kadessa was destroyed, the other when the Divine Dragon attacked Deningrad. You see, Deningrad was once known as the Birth City, and its Signet was in the Crystal Palace."
"And the section containing it was destroyed. I see. That explains why the Divine Dragon singled it out. It hated Winglies."
"That answers what he is doing, but how do we stop him?" Rose demanded.
"You have to get to the Signets first and guard them," Charle replied. Your first stop should be the Magical City, Aglis. Go to Rouge, and your way will be opened."
At this, Haschel started. "Rouge? That's where I'm from!"
Charle smiled. "See, your way is already open. But it's getting late. You should wait until tomorrow to leave, when you've rested."
"Sensible." I turned to leave.
"Wait," Charle said.
I waited for the others to leave, then turned back. "What?"
She held out a ring. "Take this."
I took it, puzzled. "What is it?" It seemed possessed of magical abilities, of a sort that seemed familiar.
"It has the same magic as Rose's choker, as well as healing properties. As long as you wear that, time will not pass for you, and you will be almost invincible. You'll be effectively immortal."
What's going on here? Why would I need it? "Why?"
"So that you can live as long as Rose, of course," Charle said.
I froze. "If we're going to have to end the cycle of the Moon Child now anyway, there's no chance of my having to replace her as the Black Monster. So what is the point!?" The topic was beginning to irritate me, since no one seemed inclined to tell me what was going on.
"You truly don't know?"
"If I knew, I wouldn't ask!"
Charle shook her head. "Odd, that you would be the last to realize it, when it's obvious to those around you."
I took a couple of deep breaths, telling myself firmly that strangling her would not get my question answered. "Could you just tell me what's going on without the footnotes, please?"
"Of course," she replied. "You feel more for Rose than just friendship."
What!? Impossible! There's no way- I reeled back in shock, then recovered. Wait a minute, baka. Since when do you accept things as truth just because one person says it is?
I turned for the door. "If you'll excuse me, I have some thinking to do," I told Charle over my shoulder, and then left.
* * *
That night, I decided to hunt up my twin. If anyone was likely to be able to help me figure things out, it was him, despite his usual lack of seriousness.
Oddly, however, Ryan was nowhere to be found. Usually, he would have been somewhere visible at a time like this, but he seemed to have abandoned his habit that night.
I eventually came across a note, with a metal fragment wrapped in it. The note had Ryan's signature, and was addressed to me. The contents were startling:
"Ian, sorry to leave at a time like this, but I have no choice. I discovered this fragment within Ulara. I'm sure you recognize it. I think you'll understand, given your own private vendetta. I hope this won't take long, but I can't make any promises; besides, the Diamond Dragoon is more valuable to the group than I am. See you when I've taken care of everything. Ryan."
Holding up the fragment, I did indeed recognize it. It was a shard from a sword I had thought destroyed months before, which I had last seen wielded by Ryan himself, as Doel's unwitting minion: the Soul Slayer. Ryan apparently believed it to have been reforged, and was going after it himself, without asking for help.
You're right, Ryan. I do understand. Good luck, wherever you are.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Ian? What is it?"
I turned. "Rose? It's Ryan. He's left." I handed her the note.
Rose glanced over it. "He's gone to destroy the Soul Slayer on his own? Why?"
"The blade is to him what von Schneider is to me: a personal enemy, to be dealt with without help. There's nothing we could do now, anyway. He's probably a long way away by now. All we can do is continue on to Aglis tomorrow. This is his concern, and we still have ours."
Author's note: Hope it was a good chapter. Took me a couple of weeks, but it's finished.
On another topic, I could use some reviews, here. No reviews, no reason to continue the story. Please keep them coming. ~Solid Shark
